The Infestation: Beginnings
by Torlo50
Summary: This story is inspired by East Bridge. I would name others, but East Bridge is the absolute original of this Sub-Genre of Starcraft. A man in his early twenties is forced to deal with unimaginable events, leading him to change Earth... and beyond. Advance Disclaimer: As much I would like it to be otherwise, I do not own Starcraft. *Undergoing Maintenance 9-7 to 9-8 All Chapters*
1. Introduction

**Introduction**

* * *

_I awoke. There is nothing else to describe what happened. For you see, I never opened my eyes. I simply knew that I was awake. I could feel in a way… not with human touch, human taste, or any other human sense, but with my own thought. I felt like a pellet upon a storm, with nothing holding me to the ground. It was then that I tried to open my eyes. I couldn't! Why couldn't I? What was happening? Where was I? Who am I? I was on the point of going insane… when I heard a voice._

_"Do not worry, young one. This is new, but you fill soon feel the power in store for you. You will fight, or you will die, it matters not. For upon the land that your old people have fought, your new people will be felt. You will be there to transform the old, into something new."_

_I screamed, but I had no voice. I wanted to say something back, anything at all, but I could form no words. I was in a nightmare, upon the winds of fate. I lost all matter of thought and feeling, losing myself in the void._

_I am awake. It is hot. I'm on something grainy, I can feel it all over my back… my legs… and... I'm naked?! I open my eyes and scramble up. All I see is sand. For miles. Sand. There weren't any buildings, people, or machines. There was sand dunes all the way t the horizon. They looked like mountains, even if they couldn't be that tall... could they? I was on top of one of these, a dune twice as tall as the rest. I cannot help but feel small, isolated, and lost. The winds were strong, buffering me every which way._

_I feel so alone… I have never felt this alone before. I yearned for… for something… I screamed. It was a low, feral scream of rage. The wind took my scream and hollered it at the sky. Nothing happened. No one answered._

* * *

My name is Duke. I use to work at a Wal-Mart part-time in downtown Indianapolis. I lived in an apartment, where I spent most of my time. I was the typical college student, with no plans, and no idea where to go afterwards, and still didn't have a particular goal for my life. That is my story on the start of October 12th, 2017. I wake up in bed to a stupid alarm. I always want to turn it off, but I know better. It is Monday, and I have work today. Work is never fun, it just doesn't change. I haven't faced anything new for two years. I suppose there was the time that some kid threw a stool into the fish tanks. Said he just wanted to play with the "fishies". Unfortunately, this wasn't new; it was just my surprise that a 12 year old did it that time. Last time it was a 7 year old, close enough to 6 years old to be treated like a 6 year old, capable of no fault.

That is enough musing, I suppose. This is just an excuse to stay sitting on your bed. I take a shower, grab some clothes, make a good breakfast (the one thing I'm good at is breakfast, oh and doing nothing, I'm good at that too). Work isn't too far from home, and I decided my lazy butt needed some exercise, so I decided to walk. Sure it's a mile, but that isn't that long, really. I went out an hour before I needed to be there, sure to be early. This was before the drive-by.

I was walking on the side walk, minding my own business. I was currently walking next to a group of guys playing basketball. I didn't really know them, but I didn't bother them, and they didn't bother me. Suddenly, there are tires squealing behind me. I, like any other untrained human, simply turned around to see what it was. It was a black ford car, and it was coming across the street fast. I mean, seriously, it was 25 mph through this area as a speed limit, and whoever this was, they were a speed demon going 60. Then one of the back windows rolled down, and an arm with some sort of gun attached leaned out. I remember this clearly. It is shocking what you remember in moments like this, and how you slowly forget everything else. It looked like some sort of sub-machine gun, and it started spitting fire. Like many a dumb human, I stood there in shock. This always happened to somebody else! Eternity passed, and the car got near where I was, and my instincts, if not my senses, returned to me enough to run for cover. There was none to be had. I felt something go over my shoulder, and something tear into my back, again, and again. I slammed into the concrete. The last thing I remember thinking was... "_Why me_?" before all went black.

I briefly, remember the rush to the hospital. It was a little stretched out, without me having a clear sense of time. I do remember the doctors saying comments like "Lucky he survived, or maybe unlucky, we could just be prolonging his life for a few hours," and "Three bullets through the chest and still breathing, poor bastard. He won't make it." I saw needles and faces, and then all went dark again.

There, in that darkness, is when I heard the voice…


	2. Where am I?

**Chapter 1**

That damn voice. If only it had chosen someone else. If I could change anything, it would be this. I mean, really, "_Do not worry, young one._" What a lode of crap. "_This is new, but you will soon feel the power in store for you._" Yeah, me, the puny human. "_You will fight, or you will die, it matters not._" Well. Damn. "_For upon the land your old people have fought, your new people will be felt._" What is this? I'm just me... "_You will be there to transform something old, into something new._" Does this mean I have purpose?

I was lost in a void of nothingness. There was me, and that was it. I had no real feeling, no senses. Just where am I? Then I feel it. True darkness closes in. I strain against it, but it is for naught.

I am awake. It is hot. I'm on something grainy, I can feel it all over my back… my legs… and... I'm naked?! I open my eyes and scramble up. All I see is sand. For miles. Sand. There weren't any buildings, people, or machines. There was sand dunes all the way to the horizon. They looked like mountains, even if they couldn't be that tall... could they? I was on top of one of these, a dune twice as tall as the rest. I cannot help but feel small, isolated, and lost. The winds are strong, and the hit my like a fist to the gut, from every direction. I am alone. I have never felt this alone before. I yearned for… for something… I screamed.

"How am I not dead?" I have stood upon my mountain of sand, watching the nothingness that is life here. There is no water, there is no food. I have not eaten. Several days and nights have passed as I stand here. I see this world, begging for my purpose. I am as still as a statue, immobile as a mountain. Then I feel something. I feel **powerful. **I get down, not even realizing my own actions, and kiss the sand at my feet. Something passes my lips. A purple mist flows down, and grabs the ground. It smells like blood, and yet, I know there is nothing wrong. Is the blood around a baby after birth a terrible thing? Is the arm cut off to safe a life bad?

Where this mist touches, it _solidifies. _I have created a new substance. "How did I do this?" I stare at it. It almost recedes into the sand, but I grabbed it, and let go immediately. The stuff was like a strong jelly, and it felt a little gross. I grabbed it again to stop it from falling into the sand, and its hold on reality grew stronger. Indeed, after a few more moments I let go, and the substance grabbed the sand, staying there by its own power. I sit down and lean a lot closer. It was a dark purple, and seemed grow. Slowly, but steadily, there is more substance there then there was before. It was like watching a cloud move across the sky. A cloud moves so slowly that it is almost unknowable, but, if you watched closely, any cloud can be seen moving across the sky. It was almost like this thing, was _creeping _across the grounds. I then smiled, knowing all was right in the world. I then promptly felt the drain on my body. I pitched face first into this substance, and promptly fell unconscious.

Upon my awakening, I notice I was no longer lying on sand. "Could it be all a bad dream?" But no, as I get up, I find myself lying on my new substance. It covered the crest of the dune I was on! It had an unusual effect on the environment, as the dune was no longer blowing as much sand around. The stuff, which I decided to call creep for its appearance of_ creeping_ across the ground, was getting between the winds and the sand, making a new ground. I'm shocked that it didn't, as the creep must still be pretty thin, as it is newborn, and the winds really are strong. I reach down to test my theory and try to grab it, and end up pulling up a lot of the stuff in a ball. There was sand underneath, but this creep was starting to really thicken up, and not be flimsy as when I first made it.

Then it really hit me. "I made this?" "How could I?" "What is this really?" I start to panic, and my body shutdowns. I put myself down on the creep, and go immobile. In my mind, I search my life, and see it flash before my eyes. I was a waste, with nothing in my future but a simple human life, no greater or worse than those around me. I had my faults, but I wasn't all bad. I was mostly a loner, out on my own, bound to probably stay alone, if only in my own thoughts. Then, I come upon the memory of the voice, and I feel an urging. I get up, walk to the center of the dune. There, in the center of the creep, I got on my knees, and put both hand on the ground, hanged my head, closed my eyes, and let my energy flow. After this, I almost passed out again, but I felt stronger than before, and did not. In between my hands, on the creep, some sort of mucus puddled up, and formed a very, very tiny cocoon. "What the hell is that?!" It appeared to beat like a heart, but it was no bigger then the tip of my finger! "What am I suppose to do now?" I said, hoping another urge would come to me. Nothing came to me, so I guess my random guidance was giving out.

* * *

A/N: For more information on Duke's Dune, it is a star dune. A Star dune is a dune that the winds of the desert come together at this area, building up sands around a central location, with "arms" flowing out and curving to a central location. They can be quite high, with he biggest recorded being an average of 650 ft. For the purpose of this story, Duke's Dune is 800 ft. or 244 meters. It is just bigger than the Singer Building in New York, for reference.


	3. The First Building

**Chapter 2**

I decided to watch the cocoon. To the best as I can describe it, it looks like a really small bubble of creep, but you can almost see into it. I thought about just walking away, but it would seem irresponsible of me to just leave some substance that I created just sitting there, growing and growing. The creep had almost covered the entire dune as I waited, and it seemed to not be slowing down. "Will this stuff ever stop?" I asked aloud, "Who knows, maybe it will cover all of Earth!" I look around again… "If this is Earth, I haven't seen any sign of civilization yet." As I wait, the cocoon gets bigger. By the end of the day, it was as tall as me, and about as wide as a couch. "So this stuff grows too? Figures," I say to no one.

I'm now assaulted with one of mankind's ultimate enemies… boredom. All through the night I just watch and watch and watch, my cocoon swelling to the size of a large house by daybreak the next day. You could clearly see something swirling inside of it, some sort of liquid. It was purple, but a very light purple. Streaks of green can be seen in the liquid, more and more often with each passing hour.

In the mid-day heat, the cocoon, now the size of a two-story house, burst open. Scraps of some sort of skin and lots of liquid washed over me and the rest the dune crest. "Ahh, my eyes!" I scream as I rapidly try to get it out. To my surprise, I can soon see again… and am perfectly dry. I look down just in time to see the rest of the liquid and scraps of skin get absorbed into my skin, with the creep absorbing the rest in a similar manner. In front of me I some sort of structure, but it was like some sort of structure like I had ever seen. I can only call it a building based on its size. There is a large base in the shape of a circle, with some sort of mass growing up from there in a cone-like shape. The top if it wasn't a point, but more like the top of a tower. There are large tusks sprouting at the top, curving in towards the top, and several larger tusks out near the bottom, curving upwards. The walls are red-orange, and they look like they are made of flesh. I looked closely, and could see what looked like veins in them, pumping something around inside the walls. The top swayed, which wasn't surprising concerning the wind, but it seemed to sway in a pattern, regardless of the way the wind was blowing. In front of me, there was a spot on the wall that looked like an entrance. This was an area where there was a circular hole in the wall, but had another, pinker wall of flesh set slightly further in There was some variety in color, ranging from red to pink in different spots, but it was mostly about in the middle of the two. This inwards wall looked like it was created from overlapping folds of skin, each fold an isosceles triangle with its base on the outside, and every triangle ending with a tooth that curved inwards. These teeth met a central point, and overlapped one another.

"Well, what have I managed to get myself into?" I wondered, "Guess there is nothing for it but to get closer and see if I can get inside. Ten bucks says there isn't a doorknob there." I walk forward and into the gaping hole, which suddenly reminded me of a gaping mouth. "Well, isn't that a comforting thought? Better hurry up or I'll never have the nerve to try this again." I told myself sternly. I continue towards what had decided was the door, and, when I got only 6 inches away, the door opened. All the folds of skin retract into the wall with a swish, allowing my access. "Automatic doors, how luxurious," I say, just trying to keep my mind of the whole being eaten concept. I step through the door, and take a few steps, before hearing the swish again, signaling the closing of the door. I almost panic, with the whole thought of being digested coming into my mind; I hurl myself toward the door, hoping against logic that I could break out. To my surprise, the door opens up again as I come close to it again, and I don't hit the resistance I was expecting and promptly find that I have thrown me to the ground outside. "I have done stupid things in my life, but I'm glad no one saw that one," I said, clearly embarrassed. I get up, and head back through the door, much more confident that I could get out again.

When I get back inside I take a look around. After a foot or so after walking through a tunnel of flesh, of the pinkish variety, I emerge into some sort of chamber. There was only one entrance that I could see, and that was the one I had come through. Around the edges of the chamber were little curved depressions about the length of a leg, but width of a body. The depressions started on the wall, and curved down into the floor. In-between each depression was a divider a flesh that stuck out like a sore thumb. In the middle of the chamber is a spire of flesh that had four thin pieces of flesh coming down from the top to exponentially curve out toward the floor, eventually becoming one with it.

"That looks important," I said, saying the obvious. I walk toward the spire, and tentatively touch my hand to it. As soon as my hand makes contact I hear a voice, _"Welcome Overmind."_ I hear this in my mind, just before my head explodes with information.

* * *

A/N: I'll be taking suggestions as well, so please tell me in a review anything you might want to see in the story. There is no guarantee anything will come of it, but if I use your idea, I'll credit it to you down here on the chapter if I use the idea. Forewarning, the idea might be radically changed in its final form that I decide upon.


	4. Learning the Ropes

**Chapter 3**

I couldn't think. How could somebody think if they are having their senses overwhelmed by the information coming into their brain? I couldn't assimilate the information. It was just too much all at once. The information flow stopped, and I tried to sort out what the information was. Apparently, I'm in something called a "Hatchery." What does it hatch? No sooner do I think this then I sense the huge informational data flow starting up again. Not again! The information stopped. I felt some sort of query in my mind. Something was confused, but what? Guess this thing can hear my thoughts. I feel a distance sense of rightness, as if something telling me "yes". Alright then, can you slow the information down somewhat, or at least give it to me differently? I feel confidence emanating from somewhere in my mind, as if something was saying, "Of course I can!"

"I will simply tell you the information, though this way is far slower, with some parts of the information losing context,"

says a voice in raspy tone.

"Then do so please, it would be easier for me," I replied.

"As you wish. You are now the Overmind of the Zerg Swarm 05/03/14/7328/01, which is formatted as Galaxy, Quadrant, Sector, System, Zerg-Swarm," granted the disembodied voice.

"That is quite the lengthy name, could it be changed?" I ask.

"As the Overmind commands, the swarm obeys. What do you wish this swarm to be called?" answered the voice.

"I need to learn more about what a Zerg is first," I put forth.

"Very well, the Zerg are a hive intelligence species that is focused on the acquisition and use of improved sources of DNA, with Zerg separated into different swarms to improve the acquisition of DNA in any part of the universe through competition," replied the voice.

"So Zerg fight Zerg to evolve?" I query.

"Not necessarily, there are other beings then Zerg, as well as natural calamities that need to be overcome. When one swarm fights another, it is usually to steal DNA sequences or to wipe out the competition." answered the bodiless voice.

"Wouldn't one Zerg swarm eventually overcome all others? I mean, what would stop this from happening?"

The voice hesitated, and then replied, "Nothing, but the universe is infinite, and could end before such a thing happened."

"Great, it is nice to know that the only thing stopping the Zerg is the end of the universe," I reply with some concern.

"Which may or may not ever happen. To continue on, a swarm is headed by an intelligent individual called the Overmind."

"So I'm the leader of the Zerg?" I ask tentatively.

The voice huffed, "Of course not, the Overmind controls the will of a swarm, but don't forget that there are other swarms. Of course, an Overmind can potentially split his/her/its swarm into different broods. These broods are still part of an individual swarm, but are headed by Cerebrates. Cerebrates can be any being that is integrated with the swarm but has an individual consciousness. The Zerg can grow Cerebrates if required."

"So I could delegate things, interesting, but what would I use to fight other species or Zerg?" I wonder.

"Well, the Zerg are functional due to the different DNA sequences it has acquired and modified, and the Zerg uses this DNA to create clones of whatever it wants. This includes soldiers, spaceships, scientists, workers, philosophers, and everything in between. To answer your very first question, the hatchery hatches larva that can be manipulated to morph into any kind of Zerg, given the appropriate amount of energy, and DNA sequences," replied the voice.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, I know basic physics, and I know you simply can't create mass, in this case a Zerg, without having some mass already. Where do you get said mass?" I ask, waiting with baited breath for the answer. This could change everything I thought I knew...

"The Zerg simply manipulate the energy and transform it into mass," calmly the voice answered.

"WHAT! You're telling me that to create more Zerg I need the utterly massive amounts of energy to form matter?! I would need to do something extreme like siphon the energy of a star!" I exclaim. I mean, everyone knows, or should know about Einstein's E=MC^2. Even working it out to M=E/C^2 for using it both ways is... staggering.

The voice answers as calmly as ever, "All hatcheries, have special organs that create a catalyst for such a reaction and put it into everything else. This catalyst drastically reduces the amount of energy needed."

"A catalyst? Really? I could solve a lot of humanities problems with that," I say. Of course, we could also annihilate our Star System, so... "How do I get the needed energy then, even with the catalyst, I'll need significant amounts."

The voice answers, "You can consume material with creep. Some material is easier to convert to energy then others though. For instance, there is no way to store that much energy right now in the Swarm's database. It must be spent immediately. Creep is an excellent superconductor of electricity. Creep is produced by hatcheries, creep tumors, and, for a limited time, from the Overmind. There might be other ways to get energy or spread creep of course, but that is the only way that this swarm knows how to do so at the moment. You can devise other ways yourself."

Great, answer me and give me some more questions. I can work with that. So I answer, "Alright, so the Zerg are incredibly more highly advanced compared to the human race. This is nice to know."

"Why? You are no longer human," states the voice.

I exclaim, "Don't be silly, of course I am! I can breathe, eat, die, sleep… I haven't eaten… … I couldn't fall asleep before…" I stop at that, thinking of the lest few days.

"Sleeping is for the resting of the body, and Zerg are continually filled with energy with no need to rest. You can't even die, so long as there is still some of your swarm left. The swarm will give you energy to preserve you above all else, killing itself in the process is necessary. You can always start anew, but only if your alive," fills in the voice.

"Alright, how do you do that? I haven't even asked for some of that information, and yet your giving it to me before I can." I ask.

"I am simply a way for you to understand this information. I do not exist. I am your intent given form," replies the voice.

"Oh, okay.. I'm going to pretend I understood that. Now, what is this about me being unable to die? Immortality is but a dream. Even these Zerg must die, eventually," I state.

"Oh, Zerg swarms die off all the time, but only because they were wiped out by an outside force," the voice comes forth.

"So I can't even die if I play my cards right?" Wow, immortality. I'm not sure what to say, or do about that. I'll just go ahead and question this thing more. "How would I expand my swarm, in the interest of not dying?" I ask. After all, someone has to look after my new found ageless being. Might as well be a Zerg swarm.

"Make hatcheries, spread your swarm, consume all threats," replies the voice.

"Okay, enough questioning. I have been in here long enough," I say, as I remove my hand from the spire.

With this end note, I look around and notice the depressions on the walls are now covered with the same kind of cocoon that the hatchery came from, but formed around the depressions, and stopping before the dividers of skin. Bet that would be the larva I learned about. They might take a while to grow though, so let's go check outside and see what time of day it is, can't have been in here that long. I step out of the chamber, head back up the tunnel, into the dawn of a new day. Okay, so maybe it took awhile. I walk to the edge of the dune, and see that the creep has completely covered it and is starting its way over ground toward the next one. Wonder how far a hatchery spreads creep...

"1 mile at the start, but more creep can be made with more energy," comes the voice.

"Hey! I thought I had to access information at the spire thing where you are," I yell out, over the empty desert.

"I am nothing but the way your brain is being made compatible with an informational download that all Overminds get upon their access to their first hatchery. You have now grown accustomed enough for this sort of contact to be initiated. Touching the heart of the hatchery instigated a contact that can never end," the disembodied voice states coming again.

"You mean I can never be without you again. Isn't that just a tad bit..._ personal_?"

"You are the Overmind of this swarm. It is as much an extension of yourself as it is something separate," answers the voice, "In a sense,_ you are talking to yourself."_

"This is too much. What do you mean, I am the swarm, and it is me? I'm just me, right?" I nearly shout over the link.

Then the voice, calm as it was when it first talked to me, states, "As you know, you are no longer human, you are Zerg."

Left with that, I don't know what to say... It was then I felt a new presence in my mind then, something new, and weak. Maybe that means a larva has hatched! I head back in the hatchery to find out.

* * *

A/N: I hope all the returning readers like this formatting better. I know I do.


	5. The First Real Zerg

**Chapter 4**

I almost run inside the hatchery. I mean, come on, how often do you get to witness the birthing of an alien? I come into the main chamber just in time to see the cocoons around the birth areas release their contents. Besides all the goo and flesh of the cocoon, which rapidly disappear into the floor and ceilings, there are what appear to be giant centipedes. They crawl out of their birth areas, and climb across the floor, milling around. They had eyes located on the curve of their head, facing up and out, with large interlocking scales wrapped completely around it. I would say they are about 3 feet long, and have black carapaces, with orange eyes. In other words, they were very creepy. Are these truly Zerg larva?

Sensing my question, the voice comes up,"These are your larva, Overmind. The hatchery makes 10 every 12 hours, with no limit on the amount it can contain at any one time, except of course, the energy required to birth, them, but that is minute. When the birthing chamber starts to get too full, which is about 50, the larva are stopped from producing more. The larva brain only knows how to eat and excrete waste. All waste is pulled into the creep for more energy, with the new energy in turn feeding the larva. They contain what humans call viruses. All the viruses are dormant, and each one contains the ability to morph the larva into something else. For instance, you can activate one virus that turns the larva into a zergling, your only weapon at the moment."

"What in every hell's name is a zergling?" I ask. If it was a weapon... well I'm pretty naked here. I need something I can fight with. It might even be some type of armor. A zergling legging piece, to help cover my nudity would be appreciated.

"Zerglings, which are very fast, are a basic soldier of the Zerg. Not as much a weapon or armor as much as a swarm of insects."

"Great, so I have beetles to fight for me... really? The Zerg are so powerful because of an army of beetles?! Fast and numerous. They better be," I reply to the voice.

"You misunderstand, they swarm the enemy yes, and, yes, they are fast. However they are the size, give or take, of your Earth's wolf," answers the voice, in the same tone as always.

"Oh. Okay then, that could be helpful," realization dawning in my voice.

"Indeed. One larva turns into one zergling, should you wish it. It will take some time however. Sand isn't very good at being converted. You'll have to wait a full day for one to spawn," comes my intelligence.

"That is quite a while to wait for something that seems so basic to the Zerg," I state.

"The Zerg where never meant to consume just sand, Zerg's prefer high density crystals and organ matter because they are easily converted. Eat, consume, devour," orders the voice.

"I'm not just going to kill and eat things willy nilly. I might be human, but I have my morals still," I reply, concerned on why I, since this was myself I was talking to, would take such a dark turn.

"It is easier, and a quick path to power. It is what we are," replies the voice.

"I was once told that taking the easy path, more often then not, was the incorrect one, and I will stand by that to the day I die!" I exclaim. My father's last words to me before he died. I will not give that up!

"You are the Overmind," is all that is said in response.

"Your damn right. Now, how do I start getting some zerglings?" I ask.

"Merely state as such, or use your connection to the larva. and imagine, in detail, what you want them to do," answers other self.

Well I can't imagine what I haven't seen. "Then start the production of 10 zerglings, all of my current larva," I order.

"As you wish," comes the reply.

The dune the hatchery was on started shaking, and the hatchery started to sink. "What the hell is going on," I shout.

My reply was quick, "The creep is consuming the sand beneath the hatchery for use in the zerglings, as you ordered."

"Stop! use the sand around the dune first! Ask before trying to use the sand upon which I, and the hatchery, stand."

"Yes Overmind," the voice complied.

With that, I move toward the tunnel and walk out. There was the swish of the door, and then… nothing new looking. "Huh, this is weird." I know the hatchery moved while I was in it. I walk out and look around, but the creep dune still seems like it was the same size. Turning around, I notice the hatchery is actually in a small depression now. With that discovered. I laugh. "Alright, so it wasn't that bad." I turn towards the sun, and watch it travel in the sky. What have I done here? I'm apparently no longer human, and am creating an army that will eventually encounter other creatures and kill them. What is the point of this all? I have no real purpose yet, except to expand my swarm. It just isn't enough. I have no idea where I am, with no idea how to get back home. Am I even on Earth? There was one sun and one moon, but that could be anywhere in an infinite universe. I can guarantee I'm no where in the U.S., as I at least I would have seen a few planes, and checking for familiar constellations is useless, since I simply only know a few, and it could be the wrong season, on the wrong side of the planet. You know what? Let's just go out an explore. Find something, anything. Find people, no matter who they are, and interact. I just need to have some purpose besides the monotony this little adventure is becoming. Something far less intelligent than I could simply build hatcheries and spread creep…I continue my thoughts along this path. After watching the sunrise from my dune, I just continued to stand there until, "There is ten minutes remaining until the first zerglings are born."

"Alright, I'm coming in," I reply. Maybe this will make things a little purposeful for me. "Cheer up Duke, who knows; maybe you'll like conquering planets!" I tell myself.

Into the hatchery I go, with a little more briskness than when I walked out. I wait around a little longer before seeing the first cocoon pops, and out comes two things from nightmare. I jump back, ready to run away at the slightest provocation, but then my mind jumps back into control. "Relax, these are my troops, they won't hurt me," I think, hoping against hope. Not very comforted, I move up to get a better look at them. They were completely identical, and very scary. The zergling's height was up to my waist. It had 4 legs, with knees like I would expect, except the back two legs appeared much stronger then the front. Both pairs of legs were filled of muscle and bone, with no fat. The body was reptilian, with scales interlocking just like the larva, but not as large at the scale pattern of the larva. Those larva scales were quite larger, and made of bone. Now the zergling's scales where more like the size of a chain link on chain mail. There was a tail as well, probably used for balance and not actual fighting. The tail had armor as well, but the armor plates got smaller as the tail did. The head came off a long neck, and it was something to behold. The zergling's head was one bone plate with a ridge down the middle. The ridge ended into an in-drawn snout, a bit below the eyes. The eyes looked forwards, and were pure red, with no pupils I could see. The mouth was full of serrated teeth, and had two layers, one shorter one behind the first. Its jaw had two pieces of bone stuck out that curved upwards into a cutting edge. As if this wasn't enough, there were two thin arms that were folded against its breast. Each ended abruptly into two claws made of bone. These claws were 2 feet long, and had a serrated edge. The arms had an elbow, giving them much greater mobility in combat.

"Um, hi?" I ask, quite uncertain if I was going to die or not.

"The nearest zergling walked up to me. It tilted its head, and rubbed against my fear frozen form. This took me out of shock. I raise my hand, look at the beast that was, for lack of a better term, nuzzling me, and put my hand on it's head. The zergling then started to _purr. _At this, the other zerglings moved up to get attention to. "You guys aren't so bad. To me at least!" I sat, laughing at the attention. I touch all of them, at one point in time. After awhile, I shoo them away, and reluctantly, they back off. Then, as if moving a one, they move into the main chamber's entrance, and run out.

"Damn, but zerglings can **move!**" I shout, running after them. By the time I get outside, the zerglings are standing on the crest of the dune, looking for all the world like they were surveying their domain.

After watching them awhile, the zerglings never moved, staying ever watchful. Eventually, I turn back and go into the hatchery, and look at the larva that were produced while I waited for the zerglings. I now had 30 of them, with more on the way!

"This is just the beginning, what else can I make from these larva right now?" I ask.

"You can make drones, which will morph into buildings or gather mass and DNA from areas your creep hasn't spread to, as well as overlords, which are command and control Zerg used to help you delegate your orders. Overlords are also better tacticians then most other Zerg, so they can command a fight better then, say, zerglings could on their own," replies other me.

_"_Wow, okay cool. In this case, I need 10 drones, 15 zerglings and 5 Overlords. How long will this take?" I ask, hoping it won't take too long.

"It will take 12 hours for the drones to get done, and a full week for the overlords," comes the voice.

"Okay, do it. This will take a while, might as well tuck in here and settle a bit then," I state, and then, "Hey, no noticeable movement this time, good job me!"

"I am but a part of you, your will is my own. What you want is my wants," come the voice in my head.

"Still an improvement, other me." I say. "Speaking of which, what ill I call you? You need a name and it isn't going to be other my," I say, while smiling.

"I need no name, nor wanted for such, until you put the want in the open." says the voice, "I know of no appropriate name."

"Well, since you so soundly broke E=MC^2 for me, I'll name you Einstein, after the man who came up with the original formula," I give.

"Whatever you want, is sufficient," comes the newly dubbed Einstein.

"Not quite was I had in mind when I expected a response, but that will do. Let me know when right before the drones are done, I'm going to sit here and wait," I command.

"As you wish," Einstein acquiesces.

* * *

A/N:Do you like this chapter better then what it was before, oh returning readers? Anyone new to the story might not know what it was like, but I would still like to know what you think as well.


	6. The Interesting Day

**Chapter 5**

"Your drones are ready, Overmind," Einstein tells me.

"Ah, thank you Einstein," I reply.

I look over at the cocoons from the larva, formed on the main chamber floor. 10 of these cocoons burst open. Revealing 10 new creatures. They looked liked nothing else I had ever seen before. They had wings, but they apparently didn't fly. They had many short legs centered underneath their body. These legs reminded me of a centipede. All 10 just stood there, doing nothing.

"What, nothing? No wanting to be pet, no signs of even rudimentary intelligence?" I ask the drones.

"They are drones Overmind, they simply live to serve, nothing more, nothing less," comes Einstein's voice.

"Alright, but what can I do with them, I don't need them to get sand. I have that. They probably don't make good scouts, so that isn't an option. What did you say before about making buildings?" I ask Einstein.

"The drones are capable of many buildings, but they would take quite a long time. The easiest to build would be a creep mine, which burrows into the earth, and spreads creep down and around it, answers Einstein.

"That would make it easier to gather more sand that isn't from my dune," I think out loud.

"Creeps can also tell if there is intruders on it as well, Overmind," Einstein offers.

"So it is in essence the spreading of our territory," I comment, "That is useful, and would have been good to know before."

"Yes," came the simple reply.

"Well... alright then." Spread the drones out in a circle, and build creep mines at the edge of our borders," I order.

"As you command, Overmind," complies Einstein.

"Einstein, send half of my zerglings on exploration missions, see if you can find anything within a days travel that I could do. I know the zerglings could go farther, but I want to be able to get to anything they find quickly," I order.

"..."

"..."

"Einstein?" I ask.

"You must learn to do this yourself, and not just ask me to do it, t become an effective commander of this Swarm," says Einstein.

"That's fair, but how do I do that?" I ask.

"Merely direct your thoughts at them. Do you feel their presence within the swarm?" Einstein questions.

"Is that what that feeling is, the light I feel from each of them? It started with the larva, but I can feel the Zerglings and drones too," I say.

"That may be how you feel the swarm. Now, select a light, and concentrate on what you want it to do," teaches Einstein.

As I feel the light of one of the Zerglings on the crest of the Dune, it turns and looks at me, like it knows I'm focusing my attention on it. I send a thought commanding my wish of exploration within a day of my travel and, miraculously... nothing happens.

"You need to confirm the orders before the zerging will commit to them, Overmind," says Einstein.

"Oh," was all I can say to that.

Then, I give the light of the zergling a feeling of approval, and it turns away from me and starts sprinting down the Dune.

"Now try more then one," Einstein orders.

After awhile, and after one mishap where I sent all of the zerglings out instead of just the 4 that I wanted, I figured it out. By focusing on the group one at a time, I got them all together, and then sent them out.

"Does that ever get any easier, that took me awhile," I complain.

"You'll get better with practice, Overmind," states Einstein, "Eventually you'll be able to commit entire armies with merely a thought."

"If you say so. I'm going to wait and see if th Zerglings find anything," I say.

* * *

**Sometime later,**

I then felt a warning in my mind. Something was wrong, but what? One of my zerglings was pressing into my mind, and showed me what he was seeing.

The zergling was on a low, narrow dune, watching a group of objects travel across the sands. I ordered the zergling closer, and the objects soon became more then just objects. It was a group of camels, complete with riders. They were many camels of there, numbering 43, not including pack camels some of the other camels were leading. The people were dressed in light cloth that wrapped around them completely. The overall color was grey, but here and there I could see brown, red, black, and all the other colors. The people leading and the people trailing the group was armed with what appeared to be swords and spears, but I could just make out the metallic black of what could be a couple of guns. Just as I was getting over the fact I could _see _what the zergling could, there was some shouting and pointing in the zergling's direction. I ordered the zergling to run back to base, and get out of there as quick as it could. I then focused on myself, and found I quickly returned to my own senses.

"Wow, that was cool!" I shout.

"We should attack tonight, and drag off some of stragglers," Einstien advises.

"We talked about this, that isn't what I choose to be," I tell Einstein.

"So be in, but they are travelling this direction, what are you going to do?" askes Einstein, with the first slip in it's calm facade.

"First things first, as always Einstein." I tell it.

I check with my other zerglings and found one that was near the location, and sent it to track the group, but with orders to take whatever precautions necessary to not be seen, even if it meant losing the group. I then ordered all other zerglings back to base.

The group didn't deviate from its path, but they did move more slowly. I expected it was because they were being far more cautious then before. I waited for night to fall, and the group to stop.

* * *

"Overmind! The group has apparently stopped for the night. What is your plan? They will be able to see us soon, and will be here by noon tomorrow, at the latest," comes Einstein.

I focus on the lone light of the zergling that is near the human's camp, and see a camp made in the sand, with fires starting. I give orders for the zergling to hold it's position and continue to observe.

"We need to take care of this tonight, for good or for ill," I declare. With that, I command the other 9 zerglings to follow me, to go after to the other zergling. I then walked off into the night, relying on the lone light, that only I could see, of the lone zergling to guide my way.

* * *

A/N: Okay everyone, I've fixed up a lot of the stuff I should've the first time around. I apologize for "dying" on you all, but I'm back now. I don't know what to do with this story, but I promise you all I will finish it. I started this story with very little comprehension of what I was dragging myself into, and just did it because I wanted to. I was lazy, and ungrateful. I apologize. Yes stuff happened, but It wasn't something hat would have stopped me writing, but I let it do so anyways. If you can forgive, me. If you can't, then know that I will at least be continuing this story. I would like to see some reviews on if you like the new formatting better, I really do. If you have any ideas on how to improve it, either PM or try to use a forum I'm trying to set up for this story. I've never tried to set up a forum on this sight, so I won't even know if it truly works until I hear from someone on it.

Never the less, may you find what you want out of life, and may it give you joy,

Torlo50


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